Staff Blog

Posted by Joseph F. Castrilli and Fe de Leon, CELA Counsel and Researcher/Paralegal on July 17, 2018

In upholding the constitutionality of federal toxic substances law over 20 years ago, the Supreme Court of Canada reaffirmed that protection of the environment is one of the major challenges of our time.

Red tape reduction, not toxics reduction, is alive and well in amendments to regulations promulgated in April 2018 under Ontario’s Toxics Reduction Act. To understand why, it is necessary to briefly review the history of this once promising provincial environmental law and the steps that should be taken going forward to revive it.

In May 2000, seven people died, and thousands of people fell seriously ill, after consuming contaminated drinking water supplied by a municipal drinking water system in Walkerton, Ontario.

On the 18th anniversary of this tragedy, it is appropriate to reflect upon some of the lessons learned from this public health catastrophe, and to identify further steps that are necessary to prevent a recurrence of this event elsewhere in the province.

[NOTE: This article originally appeared on The Lawyer’s Daily website published by LexisNexis Canada Inc. on April 11, 2018]

Since the 1970s, an environmental assessment process has existed at the federal level to gather information and make informed decisions about the biophysical and socio-economic impacts of diverse types of projects, such as mines, energy pipelines, and radioactive waste facilities.

An international plastics treaty could avert a "Silent Spring" for our seas

The Government of Canada has recently revealed a sweeping package of legislative reforms that, if enacted, will significantly change several of Canada’s most important environmental statutes.

For example, in early February 2018, Bill C-68 was introduced for First Reading in Parliament. This Bill is intended to “modernize” the Fisheries Act, and restore “lost protections” in the Act that had been removed by the previous government in 2012.

Posted by Stephanie Woodworth , Graduate student, University of Toronto on November 30, 2017

People of diverse backgrounds, occupations, positions, experiences and histories gathered together for two days in Toronto (ON) for The People’s Great Lakes Summit 2.0: Planning Policy Action to collaborate and network to understand how to restore and protect the Great Lakes. At the event, I immediately flagged the word restore – how can we restore the Great Lakes? To what end are the Great Lakes restored? What does restoration look like?

Last month, I participated in The Great Lakes Chloride Forum in Toronto. Having previously worked on the road salts file more than a decade ago without seeing any meaningful change in public policy, I was cautiously optimistic about this renewed interest. And, having had a discussion about road salts anchored by WWF Canada at The People’s Great Lakes Summit in May, I was excited to see the conversation continue.

Canada is consulting on Budget 2018. So too, is the Canadian Environmental Law Association and 18 other leading Canadian environmental organizations who have headed to Ottawa, as the Green Budget Coalition, to tell our Ministers, Members of Parliament and Privy Council what we recommend for people and the planet in 2018.

Since the 1970s, CELA has called for class action reform to enable individuals to bring civil claims on behalf of large groups of people whose health or property has been adversely affected by polluting activities.

Other stakeholders, academics and entities – including the former Ontario Law Reform Commission – also advocated the need to enhance access to justice, ensure judicial efficiency and deter harmful conduct by establishing an effective class action regime.

Posted by Kathleen Cooper, Senior Researcher and Paralegal on November 2, 2017

RentSafe outreach resources and baseline research reports in production

For people of comfortable means, home typically means well-being and security. Statistics confirm that wealthier people are healthier with lower levels of chronic disease, including precursor conditions like stress and hypertension.

On October 26, the Ministry of Energy released the Ontario’s 2017 Long-Term Energy Plan (LTEP). While there was no mention of building new nuclear reactors, the Ontario government maintains its commitment to refurbishing ten nuclear units at Darlington and Bruce, and committing to keeping Pickering open until 2024. Absent was any discussion about nuclear waste and storage.

I have my hands in the river My feet up on the banks Looked up to the Lord above And said hey man thanks.

“New Orleans is Sinking”, The Tragically Hip (1989)

In the days after Canadian icon Gord Downie passed away, numerous heart-felt tributes praising Gord were expressed across the country by the Prime Minister, politicians, musicians, First Nations representatives, and countless other persons from all walks of life.

Since 2001, “Waste Reduction Week” (October 16-20) has been coordinated by non-governmental organizations across Canada to highlight the national need to reduce the volume of waste being generated in communities and sectors throughout the country.

For many decades, the independent Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) has held public hearings and rendered binding decisions on appeals, applications and other matters arising under numerous provincial statutes, including the Planning Act.